Category Archives: News

Fast Company Releases List of Most Creative People of 2014

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When it comes to business, there are a lot of factors that have the potential to contribute to success. One such trait is creativity. Fast Company is constantly seeking out notable creative individuals in their fields, and compiles several lists each year in recognition of significant creative achievements and innovation in business.

The 100 Most Creative People in Business 2014 named industry leaders and entrepreneurs from a wide range of backgrounds and fields, including hi-tech, marketing, healthcare, diversity and show business.

Princess Reema Bint Bandar al-Saud, CEO of Alfa International and Sallie Krawcheck, former Wall Street executive, were both named for their contributions to diversity and opportunities for women in business in Saudi Arabia and the U.S.

Emil Michael, Naveen Tewari and Camille Gibson were recognized for their creative achievements in marketing and their wildly successful advertisement campaigns, while Chase Adam, Linda Avey, Anmol Madan and Joel Dudley were named for a ground-breaking crowdfunding platform aimed at supporting health care for people in need.

Other famous individuals listed among the Most Creative People in 2014 were Jerry Seinfeld, Anna Kendrick and HBO’s Game of Thrones costume designer Michele Clapton.

AmCham-Tanzania is Helping to Save the Elephants

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AmCham-TZ Supporting Elephants and Elephant Tourism
AmCham-TZ Supporting Elephants and Elephant Tourism

The American Chamber of Commerce in Tanzania (AmCham-TZ), an organization that supports US businessmen in Tanzania, is making big efforts to help big mammals, elephants, from the ravages of poaching.

Tanzania is struggling with poaching of elephants, and AmCham-TZ is soliciting funds from US sources to help support the country’s anti-poaching policy. Executive Director Mr. Richard Miles explained that his organization will be looking for funds from Americans that do business in Tanzania, Tanzanian corporations that trade with the US, and US citizens living and working in Tanzania.

“It’s up to us to ensure that future generations of elephants continue to thrive in this beautiful country, and that future generations of tourists from around the world come to see them, creating income and employment for the nation,” said Miles. “This is why we are so proud to lead the charge in galvanizing American corporate efforts to protect wildlife.”

Over 30 elephants are killed every single day in Tanzania. In one year about 10,000 elephants are killed, according to Mr. James Lembeli, chairman of the Natural Resources Committee of Tanzania’s Parliament. At this pace there will no longer be elephants in Tanzania in less than ten years.

US District Court Dismisses Apartheid Suit Against Ford and IBM

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After lingering in the US justice system for 12 years, a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit which accused the Ford Motor Company and IBM of aiding and abetting human rights violations in what was then apartheid South Africa.

US District Judge Shira Scheindlin justified the dismissal by explaining that the plaintiffs, who are black South Africans, did not show “relevant conduct” within the US by IBM and Ford to find the companies responsible.

IBM and Ford, in addition to other companies, were accused of helping the government of South Africa, which was practicing apartheid at the time; commit serious human rights violations including torture and murder, by selling military vehicles and computers to the security forces of the regime.

The lawsuit was brought under a 1789 law known as the Alien Tort Statute. This law allows non-US citizens to bring lawsuits against US entities who may have committed crimes violating international law. In April last year the US Supreme Court said that the law only covered laws broken in the US; or violations outside the US that “touch and concern” US territory “with sufficient force.”

The following August the federal appeals court in Manhattan asserted the Supreme Court’s decision, saying that the cases against IBM and Ford should be summarily dismissed.
This past April Judge Scheindlin allowed the plaintiffs to have just one more chance to try and meet the standards set by the Supreme Court’s decision. This past week Scheindlin announced that the plaintiffs did not meet that standard. She said that any supposed violations of international law were performed by the company’s South African subsidiaries, and off of US soil.

“It’s been 12 years. We’re devastated by the decision,” said Diane Sammons, a partner at Nagel Rice in Roseland, New Jersey, who represents some of the plaintiffs.

Research Reveals Four Texas Cities Among 50 Best US Cities for Work and Play

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Canadian tourism strategy development and branding agency Resonance Consultancy Ltd

Four Texas cities among US 50 best destinations
Four Texas cities among US 50 best destinations

took a new approach to evaluating US cities for their desirability as destinations for business and pleasure.

Traditionally cities are judged for their potential for tourist development mostly by examining how many visitors a place has and the money that is generated there. The Resonance study took a different approach. They instead used 16 different criteria to judge a city’s value as a potential place for tourist development. Those data points included things like how many major league sports teams that were housed there; direct flights to the city; hotel rooms; and on-line reviews such as Yelp and Trip Advisor.

It is not a surprise that Los Angeles and New York came in second and first place, respectively. Four major Texas cities also made the list, but in a somewhat unexpected order: Dallas ranked third; Houston came in twelfth; San Antonio, 21st; and in 23rd place was Austin.

Minors at Border Creating Immigration Crisis for US

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President Barack Obama said today that most of the unaccompanied minors that have shown up at the US border with Mexico will unlikely qualify for the humanitarian aid that would allow them to stay in the US.

The White House’s announcement is a warning to children and their families from countries south of the border that it is not worth the dangerous trip north if in the end the children are denied asylum in the US and sent back home. The pronouncement was made in conjunction with a proposal to be submitted by the White House to Congress for a budget to hire more immigration judges and open more detention facilities to properly deal with the growing crisis of children seeking refuge in the US. Obama is seeking over $2 million from lawmakers for this proposal.

Josh Earnest, White House spokesman, said that the administration will continue to review each immigration case, there is an expectation that not too many of the individuals seeking residence in the US will be granted such a status.

“It’s unlikely that most of these kids will qualify for humanitarian relief,” Earnest said. “It means they will not have a legal basis for remaining in this country and will be returned.”

Since it is unknown how long it will take for the funding to come through, if at all, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson admitted that processing each child could be long delayed. Dealing with the incoming tide of unaccompanied minors crossing the border is not just a legal conundrum for the US, but a humanitarian one as well.

“Our border is not open to illegal migration, and we are taking a number of steps to address it, including turning people around faster,” Johnson told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

At the same time, he said, the administration is “looking at ways to create additional options for dealing with the children in particular, consistent with our laws and our values.”